Writing: A Conversation Without Interruptions

I MISSED A POST!

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know; I’m allowed. I have a reason. I can be excused. -_- I’m still sorry. Those of you who are regular visitors… I feel committed to you. I don’t want to let you down. I don’t want to let me down either.

So here is the catch up post.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in recent weeks talking about me and my life. While that’s interesting – I hope – it’s not the point of the blog. I like to share with you, but every now and then I feel I should dip into writing and the things that come with it.

So I want to talk about goals.

I may have mentioned this already, but the Phoenix Subs Club is really giving me the get-up-and-go attitude I’ve been lacking through August. Oh, I’ve certainly got things done, but they haven’t always been relevant to my long term goals. Our task, two weeks ago, was to come up with a list of long and short term goals. The idea was that by posting them on the Subs Club Blog, we would be publicly committing to get these things done.

Well I’ve always liked stuff like that. (^_^)
Here is my list as I wrote it week before last.

Long Term Goals

• Publish Silk Over Razor Blades through self-publishing or traditional means by December 2014
• Publish the first part of Slippers & Chains by January 2014 through my self-publishing label Little Vamp Press
• Win a short story or flash fiction competition by December 2014
• Publish at least two of the short stories in my erotic ‘Meeting Each Other’ series by May 2014 through my self-publishing label Little Vamp Press
• Continue to earn at least £50 a month by way of writing activities (The Write Feeling, competitions, transcribing, sales)

Short Term Goals

• Complete profiles on at least two the freelancing sites I found and find at least one job through them by the end of October 2013
• Enter one competition a month (Writers Forum, Writing Magazine or Flash500.)
• Organise a sensible and manageable timetable by 31 August that I can use to make these goals doable without losing my mind (!)

I think that’s all doable. And, more than that, I used the SMART criteria to come up with that. I think, by doing so, and by telling all of you fine people, I’ll be in a better position to achieve what I want. And of course, by doing so here, I put myself in a better position to keep up with my goals.

So! Monday’s posts, from now, until further notice will be for goals (as well as Slippers & Chains videos when our production break ends). I’ll use Mondays to assess the previous week, plan the current week and look forward to what I hope to do. I think this is a great way of keeping in mind all the things I want to do and keeping a handle on it. I don’t want to do what I did early in the year and come up with a whole bunch of things I’d like to do without any sort of plan for doing so. That’s not how things get done!

What about you? Do you make a goal list by the day, or week, or month? How do you handle changing priorities and unexpected happenings? Do you lay out goals at all? Do you have any tips for poor lil jumbled up me? :p
I love hearing from you and remember, for each comment you make on posts throughout August up to September 26, your name will be put in the draw to win one of four free copies of the upcoming ebook ‘Meeting Each Other: Vicki & Lara’.
Comment awaaaaaaaaay!